An attractive royal mourning envelope, entirely addressed in the hand of Queen Victoria (1819–1901) and signed/identified by her in her royal capacity as “The Queen, ” to Sir William Jenner, 1st Baronet (1815–1898), one of the most distinguished British physicians of the nineteenth century and Physician-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria. The Queen addresses the envelope to: Sir William Jenner, Bart., M.D. and at the lower left writes in her own hand her royal designation/signature: “The Queen.” Sir William Jenner was an eminent British physician and pathologist whose investigations into continued fevers during the 1840s helped establish the crucial medical distinction between typhus and typhoid fever, an achievement upon which much of his scientific reputation was founded. In 1861 Jenner was appointed Physician Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, becoming Physician-in-Ordinary to the Queen in 1862. The following year he was also appointed physician to the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. His connection with the Royal Family was particularly significant. Jenner attended Prince Albert during his final illness in 1861, and later treated the Prince of Wales during his serious attack of typhoid fever in 1871. He subsequently became a Fellow of the Royal Society and was created a Baronet. The envelope is a distinctive Royal Mourning Cover, with broad black mourning bands forming a large X across the reverse. At their centre appears Queen Victoria’s crowned royal monogram, providing a particularly attractive royal element to the reverse. The piece is of particular interest for combining Queen Victoria’s autograph addressing and “The Queen” royal-title signature with a recipient who was both an important figure in nineteenth-century medical history and one of the principal physicians of the Victorian Royal Family. An appealing piece of Victorian royal and medical history combining Queen Victoria, Sir William Jenner, the Queen’s autograph handwriting and “The Queen” signature, royal mourning stationery and a crowned royal monogram.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art